Ebony and Ivory
by Giftless-Princess
Summary: "You're soul is white and pure and good isn't it?" He hissed "Well I'm your counterpart. I'm everything you're not: I'm black and red and vile and I disgust you. But-" His smile drew up once again "here's the kicker: you have have no say in love anymore!"
1. Prologue

This is my new Death Note story! I set out a poll to see what story I should write next and I only got ONE person to actually take it! Thank you that one person! Oh and also thank you if you have read, reviewed, faved, or subscribed to me or my stories: I love you guys soooo much!

**About the story:** (And I screwed over the timeline a little bit to make my story work. Don't like it? Sorry but I ain't gonna change it!) Light has killed himself and L is heartbroken (implied relationship). While on another case he finds his long lost doppelganger, Beyond Birthday with violent results! More as the story progresses!

**Ebony and Ivory~ Prologue**

'A new case. A new time. I suppose it would happen eventually. I just wish it hadn't happened this way.' L mused as his fingers brushed the keys.

It had been one month since Light had admitted to being Kira and had taken his own life. L felt sorry for the boy, for his friend and had been crushed ever since. Life didn't seem to be worth living without Light to love. Life seemed cold and bleak, more black and white.

'Like these keys.' L allowed a bitter smile to cross his lips as he continued to play the piano.

He was hanging it low-key as a piano man in a small tavern a few miles from the hotel, tracking an infamous child murder. The case seemed simple compared to the others that L had taken on in his career. Watari had talked him into taking it. L knew that Watari was just worried about his slump after the Kira case ended, but surly there was no need for it, right?

There were no patrons there that evening and all was strangely quiet. Suddenly young man walked from the dark corner of the deserted bar and whispered something to the bartender. They shared a smile but the young man's smile was different than any smile he had ever seen: it was sick, sick like Kira. The young guy seemed to about the same age and build as L himself. The bartender poured a drink, some kind of red concoction, into a shot glass. He came over with a toothy grin and set the drink down on the side of the piano.

"A drink for ya, mate. On the house. Courtesy of me regular over there." The man slurred pointing to the younger man.

L had never had alcohol in his life. The younger man had started to play pool by himself. His hair was a short brown like Light's was. Light… L looked at the drink and then back up at the young man.

'I guess we all have our burdens to bear.'

L took the cold glass in his hand and lifted it to the air of the smoky bar. With a nod of thanks to both the bartender and the guy, who returned his gratitude with another sickly smile, L tipped the shot down his throat. He could feel it burning all the way down. Nearly instantly his head began to swim, the dim lights in the bar danced before his eyes with the colors swirling in the opposite direction.

What was happening? L couldn't speak he just sat there, wide eyed, as he began to lose consciousness. The young man had set down his pool stick and advanced on him with the same smile that seemed to be enjoying his pain. The brown hair came off, a wig; revealing a mane of black hair similar to his own. L felt as though he should know the man but didn't have much time to speculate due to his dizzied state. He soon fell to his piano keys with a thud, the young man's image fading from his mind and giving way to drugged blackness.

The man laughed pulling out a knife and facing the bartender.

"You will tell no one of this!"

"You have me word!"

The black haired man plunged his knife into the bartender anyway.

"I don't trust your word." He whispered coldly to the bleeding body before turning back to the detective.

"Come now L we have some catching up to do." The man laughed as he through L over one shoulder.

He pushed the knife into his own palm, letting the blood flow. He was extra careful to keep L from being stained by the redness. He looked at the blood flowing down his fingers. The wound wasn't too deep but deep enough to bleed vigorously and hurt like hell, at least he wouldn't die from it. Then as if experimentally, he dipped one finger in his mouth and enjoyed the salty taste of his own life.

The strange man took the 8 ball from the billiard table he was playing at moments before and painted two letters on to the blackness. He left the ball neatly on green table next to a blood hand print of his own. Leaving the bar through the back door, he turned out all the lights with the exception of the light over the billiard table.

In the dim, flickering florescent the letters BB sparkled in blood…

….

Pretty damn awesome right? Idk if I'm gonna finish this one but if you would please leave a comment I'd appreacate it. Sorry for repeating 'young man' so much. It's like 3 am over here. ~Giftless Princess


	2. The First Night

Hey, it's 1:238 in the morning! I'm pretty sick so right now I decided that if I was going to suffer, that L should too. I'm so cruel: L forgive me! Anyway, this is the first chapter of Ebony and Ivory so WOOT! *clap clap* I have received a lot of positive feedback from you guys about the prologue so thank you to everybody who left a comment, got on alert/subscription/favorite, etc: you guys all rock!

So I do not own any Death Note-ness yada yada…so there we go with the disclaimer: please review and enjoy! –Giftless Princess

**The First Night**

L woke up groggily with a splitting headache. His vision swam as he tried to makes sense of his surroundings. It was very dark in the room that seemed small and cramped, not to mention cold. The walls were lined with photos, drawings, and pages of random scribbled words. As the images swayed to and fro he realized that all of them where pictures of him. The previous night's memories came flooding back making L painfully aware of the situation. He struggled to get up but found himself bound tightly to a chair in the sitting position. He began to panic in his bonds.

"Shhh, calm yourself lovely. You'll only hurt yourself." A voice purred smoothly.

L stopped instantly allowing his world to cease its spinning for a moment. He saw a sight he hadn't seen in ever so long: Beyond Birthday.

"What have you done to me?"

"Nothing: yet." Red eyes glared at him.

Beyond was dressed in L's cloths, matching him exactly. It was then L found the reason for the coldness of the room: he was naked. This fact made him shiver once but not out of cold. The copy walked around him, examining him, until he was behind the detective. L choked on a ball gag that was roughly inserted with brute force. Beyond walked to the front of him again so he could watch his victim struggle: that was one of his favorite parts.

"Since you're here, wanna play a little game with me?" B was positively glowing, the knife from earlier still in his hand: still bloody.

L struggled wildly against his restraints much to Beyond's pleasure.

"What's was that? I can't hear you."

L stopped. He knew that he was wasting his energy on these attempts to free himself, which were obviously in vain. He also knew that he would need that energy later to get away from…wherever he was. It would be safer for him to quietly work on the bonds on his hands so he could at least defend himself. Beyond wasn't gentle and L surmised his death would be here in the very chair he sat! If he was going to get out, he was going to have to wait for a situation to present itself.

The man's copy seemed a little saddened at this.

"What's the matter L? Don't wanna play?"

The original shook his head violently at the other, causing laughter to bounce off the walls, echoing, mad laughter.

"It's not too bad of a game, I promise." He advanced on his helpless opponent.

This game was going to fun; B could smell the fear and blood racing inside of L. Walking to him, he began to stoke the midnight tangles in a mock attempt to calm him. He realized then that L was shaking.

"Hush little one. It'll be" he let his hand slide down the other man's cheek's to tilt the victim's eyes up to his own "alright" His long nail pierced L's skin painfully.

"Oh I have changed my mind! I'm going to take the gag off you now, my Little Lawi. I'd much rather hear you scream." L's eyes got wide at this, an idea, though weak, had hatched in his mind. B took this reaction as fear which only increased his madness "Yes and you will scream for me!"

The red eyes sparkled in front of him, taunting him and the gag was yanked from his mouth and cold fingers began tracing his lips.

L seized his golden opportunity for escape at that very moment. He bit B's fingers hard as he could, sending the Backup into the ceiling howling, dropping his knife as he yelped. With one final tug, the restraints on his hands that he had been working broke free and he caught the knife. Taking the blade in hand, he sliced through his restraints: finally free! He could have sworn he had become airborne while racing out the door, fast than he had ever run in his life.

"Get back here!" BB shriek hot on his trail as he ran from the room.

Then it occurred to Lawliet: he had no idea which way was out. He reached the end of a corridor with a hallway leading off to his right and another to his left.

'Right sounds good.' He muttered to himself taking the right corridor.

The hall was a dingy off-gray color with occasional blood spatters. There seemed to be no rooms on this particular hall and L was beginning to panic when he saw a door at the end, marked with a red bloody 'x'.

"Little Lawi, where have you gotten to?" B called in a mock sweet tone, ever coming closer.

The door didn't open. What kind of cruel joke was this? Possible freedom was just on the other side of the cold metal door: so close and yet so far away.

"You have been a very bad boy Lawi." A voice whispered from behind him.

L needn't turn around to know that Beyond had found him.

More silence followed this comment, silence with the exception of both men's panting.

"I brought you here as my guest, Little Lawi. You have abused that honor, and for what? For your fears!" B let out a cold cackle.

"You want to run from me, then I will make you a prisoner. You will wish I had had my way with you today instead of making you suffer. You want to go in there, Little Lawi? Fine, let me show you. Come on L, there's someone I want you to meet. Then maybe you'll have respect for me!"

B advanced with a small silvery key in his hand. L wielded his knife to his cruel copy but was stopped halfway. B's cold hand clutched his bare wrist.

"No no no, naughty Little Lawi. You need to be punished." B scolded reclaiming his knife.

Lawliet was shoved into the room behind the door and received a terrible shock: the exit he was looking for wasn't waiting for him. Instead there was a giant cage that filled the center of the room similar to the ones at the zoo Watari had taken him to when he was a little boy. There were chains on the wall and a small toilet in one corner and a big bed with thick leather straps bolted to the middle of cage floor. A large overhanging light illuminated the chamber dimly.

More importantly though, was a small lump of a creature, curled into a ball in the opposite corner from the door. The shape shook violently and seemed to be whimpering.

The great detective found himself unwilling to look away from the weak form and at the same time being repulsed. B pushed the other into the cage before coming in as well, slamming the cast-iron doors behind him.

A limp arm laid in view of the florescent light, proving the creature to be human: blood was flowing in a continuous current from a long knife wound.

"This" B smirked indicating the bleeding, black mass "is my beloved Lydia. Lydia, darling, your Beyond his here."

The human lifted its head allowing L a good look. Long black matted hair covered its face, or more her face. It was definite feminine despite severe emaciation. Dim neon green eyes glowed with wet tears and widened with fear at their presence. She curled up deeper in the corner, emitting a low moaning sob.

"This is what happens when you don't listen to me Little Lawi. I think I shall leave you here for a bit, see how you like life as a prisoner. Good night, my Little Lawi. Lydia-" B purred with charm oozing out of his greasy pores.

The woman screamed as Beyond took her in his arms and gave her a biting kiss. He slowly began to lap up the blood that stained her arm. L was sickened, just so intoxicatingly sickened by Beyond's cruelty. But he was also a bit enchanted and aroused by such authority.

"Mmm, delicious! Oh, we are engaged, Little Lawi. Did I forget to mention?" B smiled teeth bloody and he held up her bloody hand.

He saw the diamond sparkling on her ring finger and saw it to be true.

"Well this has been great fun but I must be going. Good night, my Queen. Good night my pet!" Beyond cackled as he left, slamming and locking the cold doors behind himself.

Lawliet went to the sobbing woman and put a hand on her shoulder.

She screamed from beneath tattered hospital dress that once was pure white.

"Shhh!" He soothed "I'm not him. You're safe for now."

Ripping a piece of cloth of her already torn gown, he set about trying to stop her bleeding and began to wonder about his first night in hell, and the strange man that was his captor.

I thought that was pretty good! :P What's gonna happen next? …oh I know and you don't, never mind! Lol xD Spell-check still broken (gotta fix that) so sorry if I spelled stuff wrong! Please leave a review peoples! Love you all~ Giftless Princess


	3. For Whom The Lamb Bleeds

Well sorry it took so long: I was busy! This is a very creepy chapter if you can't tell by the title so I'd like to remind everyone that it's M rated! I also would like to say that I don't own Death Note or its characters (with the exception of Lydia). Now Lydia is going to be a very minor character in this but she's a symbol so I had to put her in. At the end of this chapter I'm sure you'll be dying to find out what happens next! One of my better works I suppose. Please enjoy and if it's not too much trouble, **leave a comment**! ~Giftless Princess

**Oh and very important note:** the sections of dialog marked of with apostrophes ('') mean that Shoulder L is speaking….if that doesn't make sense yet, it will!

**For Whom the Lamb Bleeds**

B slammed the metal door behind him, fuming with rage. The nerve of his Lawliet! The young detective's image was flashing through Beyond's mind, refusing to let him think of anything else! Now, in his rashness, he had made L his prisoner just like Lydia. Beyond had just ruined his entire plan! He went over it all in his mind as he paced down the hall:

L was to die first, slowly and constantly in pain but instead was sitting comfortably in a cage meant for scum much lower than the great L. It was meant for the weak and pathetic like his bride-to-be. He didn't really love her but she was his, a great trophy. But no trophy could compare to Lawliet's body lying naked in his arms, dead and bleeding and cuming all over his-wait, what?

B shook himself from his fantasies, if they could be called such.

'You know you want to.' He heard a little voice in his ear.

Beyond turned his head to the sound of the voice. On his left shoulder, a miniature model of L was sitting, eyes innocent.

'You want me.'

"No I don't! I want to kill you!"

'Sure. Say what you will, deny the truth: but soon enough you'll see.'

Beyond was getting pissed off. How dare this-this-what was this? He supposed it was a ghost, the way it seemed translucent. But what it was, its name was irrelevant. A slight tingle of pain began to pulse through his arm, but it was nothing that he couldn't handle. B had felt far worse.

'Stop lying to yourself. You kidnapped me to fulfill your sick pleasure! You want to be me and what better way to do that than to rape me. To make me hurt like I hurt you all those years ago.'

"Stop it!" B hissed prompting a cruel chuckle from the mini-Lawliet. The pain in his arm was growing, burning hotter but Beyond fought to ignore it.

'Still a soft spot for you isn't it?' little L sneered 'You love me, Beyond. And I can prove it too: here's what you do. Take that little filly of yours, the sweet black haired thing. That petty and weak broad, really Beyond, you could have done much better!' Beyond snarled provoking the little L to continue.

'Take her and rape her. You won't enjoy yourself. Trust me, I know you…all of you. I've seen your heart: it's black as ebony and it craves only me, calling to me, longing for me to grace it's- '

"STOP!" B almost pleaded, speaking more to the pain in his arm that was engulfing him.

'No no! None of that now, Beyond! You know this to be true!' L purred 'Don't believe me? Try it!'

"NOOOOO!" Beyond screamed in agony and he slammed his shoulder against the wall in an attempt to both silence the antagonizing L and to stop the searing pain.

Beyond collapsed there in the hall and closed his eyes firmly. When the pain had dulled, he opened them again. To his relief, shoulder-L was gone. Then carefully he inspected his left arm which had caused him so much pain. He saw nothing there to hurt that severely, nothing but the deep cut on his palm from where he had signed his name on his crime scene and that couldn't possibly have hurt him that much.

Backup felt like a small child as he sat slumped there looking at his palm and yet he couldn't look away. Some sort of cruel irony had made the cut L shaped. He traced it gently with his fingers and as he did the burning pain returned. His eyes never wavered from the straight vertical line and then the abrupt horizontal one coming out of the first, almost like they were conjoined.

'You know what must be done.'

B heard the voice in the back of his mind. He stood up with new determination and focused blood red eyes. He was in such a pain induced haze that thinking hurt him. He knew where he was going though. A small voice inside him told him to stop but he could hardly hear it. He was going to see if his demon was right, for if he was, L wasn't the only one in grave danger. He unsheathed a longer, clean blade from his person and turned back to the door which held his prisoners.

"Now to deal with that little wench of a songbird" B snarled "Lydia."

Meanwhile, back in the cage, several hours had passed and Beyond had remained unseen. L did his best to keep the girl's bleeding at bay but it seemed unstoppable. She had lost too much and the detective was fairly certain there was no way she would survive the night. Other than the quiet sobs from Lydia, the room remained in a thick eerie silence. The silence forced L's mind to think about everything.

Perhaps this was a dream; yes a sick dream and he'd wake up to Watari in a moment's time. No, it couldn't be a dream, he decided. It couldn't be because of the blood. The blood was so real, so warm. The rich rusty scent tickled his nose as the blood stained the hemmed cuffs of his sleeves and the cuffs alone. A repulsive metaphor teased him:

Lydia was a lamb, an innocent, naive lamb. Yes, she was innocent for innocent blood stains the deepest and there was no doubt in the red liquid's staining. Lambs must be slaughtered for sacrifice or else a warning, but by Beyond, a demon? And for what God, for whom did the lamb suffer? For L, for Justice, or else for its own good? Regardless for whom the lamb's blood was spilt, it was spilling: spilling in the idle hands of justice.

The door burst open, waking L from his musing. It was Beyond, looking more predatory that usual. He jammed the key in the lock and opened the cage. The safe iron bars could protect the two no longer. L expected to be taken but felt nothing. Beyond came over to his side, looking L straight in the face. Dark eyes held red with an intense curiosity before the red broke away. He let out a growl, taking Lydia's arms in his own.

"Come my beloved Lydia, we must be off."

"No. No NO!" The woman screamed "Please no! No!"

Backup began to drag the screaming woman to the cage door.

"Beyond" L's voice came out strong and clear, betraying none of the emotions that were racing through him "please leave her. She's too weak."

The murder didn't hear or at least didn't acknowledge L. He seemed to be favoring his left arm, letting the right do all the pulling of the girl, which peaked L's interest. Was Beyond injured? Concern for the man welled up inside him but those feelings were easily pushed away as he watched him tow the dying woman to some ungodly fate. It was then that he became aware that the other man was chanting something, almost religiously under his breath.

"I must know. I must know. I must know."

He must know what? The cage door slammed closed and the big metal one leading out of the room did as well with a soul-shattering bang. L was alone again, covered in blood that was not his own, worrying about a crazed killer and yet, there was only one question that plagued his mind.

He asked it quietly, staring at the blood patterns on the floor:

"For whom does the lamb bleed?"


	4. The Twisted Experiment

Giftless here again! So sorry it took so long to post this! My computer's been acting up again DX and things here haven't been exactly….stable. I'm at the library posting this so no spell check sorry if I misspelled a lot. :( I hope you enjoy this next chapter but do remember that this story is RATED M for a reason! Squeamish persons should turn the other way for this chapter! More soon (and not just in E&B) Thank you to all who favorited, subscribed (to me or the story), and a SPECIAL THANK YOU TO Leo's Katanas, MysticalTears, Bittersweet Freedom, and PrincessCalamity864. I would really appricate more reviews if possible! Enjoy! ~Giftless

**The Twisted Experiment**

**Warning: Contains Sexual Content And Things Not Meant For Younger Readers! Rated M**

Lydia looked small and dead next to the off-white sheets of Beyond's bed, blood turning the white into a dark red.

"My Lydia, sweet Lydia, I am a man of science, did you know?" Beyond asked quietly.

She franticly shook her head.

"Well I am and tonight, we're going to perform a little…experiment, ok?" He took in her scent deeply.

It wasn't like Lydia could really stop him as he roughly strapped her to the bed's metal frame. B's image swam in her sleep-deprived eyes, making him appear more menacing. Lydia knew death was upon her, she could feel it in her heart. But looking up at her captor, she didn't think he was evil or at least evil in a pure sense. He was, in fact, almost handsome. And if she was going to die, in the hands of some psychotic stranger, after sex didn't seem like a bad way to go.

His body laid on hers. It was soft and reeked of death and sweat. Hell, maybe that was her. He worked fast; pulling at her hair, biting her viciously, which created more holes in her flesh as she bled out even more.

Beyond thrust himself into her, no holding back. The springs bent and groaned under them. He had to prove this to himself and the voice: he wanted L dead and nothing more. Lydia let out a terrified scream, wanting it to end. While he committing the act, Beyond's arm began to burn once again and very soon after, L appeared on his shoulder.

'Having fun Beyond?' He asked nonchalantly as the woman moaned.

B didn't answer. He was not enjoying himself and he knew it.

'Look at her Beyond: she's beautiful. Lovely, lovely, Lydia. And all those screams are for you. How does that make you feel?'

Lydia's face began to morph into L's. The man couldn't help but release a wicked grin.

"Come on Little Lawliet!" He yelled "Scream my name!"

The woman panted quietly.

"SCREAM IT!" Beyond was in a lust-driven rage.

"BEYOND!" The call echoed.

'I think that was pretty definitive.' L curled up in the nape of his neck.

Meanwhile, back in the cage, the real L had realized that in his haste, Beyond had left the door unlocked. Slowly, the detective pushed it open. He had his chance to escape. As he reached the big metal door, he heard Lydia scream.

'What kind of Justice would I be if I left her here?' He asked, more like reassured himself to stay and chase after the howls, down the cold halls.

"NO!" B was furious at this result of his own L's taunting "IT'S NOT TRUE! NO!"

Lydia's weak eyes closed before him and her hitched breath ceased. Lydia, his wife to be was dead and strangely enough, he didn't care. He knew what he wanted now:

"L." he panted "L."

"Yes?" A voice answered from the door, L had watched the whole thing.

'Tell him! You need to tell him!' The little L yelled at him.

Beyond nodded dumbly, the pain was so extreme as he somehow raised his body off the bed.

'TELL HIM NOW!' the little L was growing more agitated as the pain increased to steady flames that pulsed through his body. The cold floor on his feet did nothing to numb the heat.

Beyond, unable to bare the pain any longer, fell to his knees screaming. L rushed forward to the ailing man, no longer able to remain motionless.

"B? Beyond? What's wrong? What hurts?" L asked franticly.

Beyond was in a haze. Shadows lightened around him and colors swirled violently. However, in all the madness, the vision of L stayed in his eyes the entire time.

"Arm." He muttered weakly.

L grabbed his arm gingerly, hands snaking down to the palm. A thick cut was oozing dark liquids that looked nothing like the blood that should have been issuing from it: defiantly infected.

"Gotta tell L." B gasped "Gotta tell."

"What must you tell me?" L was intrigued with the desperateness in his voice.

"L-" B muttered before he lost consciousness.

This was L's chance: he could escape. He looked longingly towards the door and then back at the writhing body of Beyond. He had a duty to Beyond, this much he felt. His captor was in need. His logic and his heart split his thinking.

"For Justice, at least, I shall stay." He decided hoisting his copy into his arms.

Something had to be done and quickly, before the man of so many deathly acts became a victim of his own knife!

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YAY! I finally wrote another chapter! I would really like some reviews so if you would please (and I do mean PLEASE *on knees*) would leave one I would love you forevers! 3 More when I can. ~Giftless Princess


	5. Tense Musing

Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, my internet has been on the fritz and I can't really fix it. Sadface. BUT I MADE SOMETHING FOR ALL YOU VIEWERS! I drew a picture of Beyond after he kills Lydia and posted it on Deviant art! You HAVE to go check it out! .com/art/BB-s-Remorse-197550888

This chapter is NOT filler I swear! I needed to put some emotion and thought in here: B and L are geniuses after all! And there's been so much action that until this point I have been unable to express it!

I don't own Death Note or its characters for that matter!

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**Ebony and Ivory Chapter 4: Tension of Musing**

His eyes were closed as if to shield them from the horror that had just taken place in that room. However the damage was done and the evidence was painted in blood on the very sheets his body rested on, on his very hands. And yet he had the appearance of sleep and all the innocence that made L angry and envious.

Pain.

All Beyond could feel was pain. A pain that was unlike any he had ever experienced: a burning hell of icy flames the coursed through his body in a venomous way with his hand as an epicenter. But behind the hell was another built of an entirely different cause. The fact that he didn't know its cause disturbed the murderer far more than he thought it ought to have. He could feel L's eyes on him and yet the pain kept him in the dark, bending him purely to its will.

'Am I going to die?' he mused.

A million words raced through his mind; some he wanted to say, others he had thought or experienced, and other's still he felt nothing but scorn for. The little L appeared before his closed eyes and floated through the darkness, chanting each word and memory with a sickly hiss:

'_Loath. Like. Life. Lonely. Luck. Love. Lashes. Learning. Lying. Leer. Leaning. Love.'_

The voice was hypnotic as Beyond listened to its maddening melody. The pace picked up along with the pain in his hand that he was sure couldn't get much worse:

'_Lollipop. Lesson. Leader. Living. Lesion. Love.'_

The beat rose once again with unfathomable pain his hand this time. Even in his half conscious state he was forced to let out a tortured scream, suffocating in the pain. All the while, the little L laughed and chanted: louder and madder and faster. So fast that Beyond began to get dizzy from the bombardment truth:

'_Labyrinth. Little Lawliet. Lydia. L. Love! LACK. LITTLE LAWLIET. L. LYDIA. LOVE! LETTERS! LITTLE LAWLIET! L! LYDIA! LOVE!'_

And then silence. Eerie, dead, silence. The blackness and resolved to white as he remained immobile but the pain, at last, had numbed over just enough to allow him to breath.

'Am I going to die?' Beyond asked himself once again 'Or am I already dead?'

L let out a weary sigh and admired his handiwork: Beyond was resting nearly comfortably in the bloodstained bed.

With the filthy state of the old warehouse, L wasn't surprised that the other man had managed to get his wound infected. He took a clean cloth and began to wrap the wound, all the while his mind wandered:

Beyond was a strange sort of man. The sort of man that could torture and slaughter someone one moment and the next be listening to Mozart calmly. The man was a genius; he had to have been otherwise he wouldn't have been able to get into Whammy's. But in that intelligence, something had been twisted and gone sour. The fact that Beyond and himself were similar didn't help either. Yes, genius was a fine and lonely line in the sand, a line that both men were treading, side by side. L began to wonder just what side of the line he was on, after all, he had stayed with the mad man.

No. Not mad. Just very, very, twisted and lonely. Did that make L crazy because he stayed? Or did that also make him lonely too, that damn loneliness that they shared! And the greatest secret of that loneliness was the ability to deny all humans and have no need for emotions.

"Then why were you so desperate?" L asked aloud to the body of the man, as though he could respond "What did you need to tell me?"

Beyond could hear L's voice, faintly, as though he was much farther away. But he lacked the will to speak. His mind was currently spinning so much that he imagined black wheels and cogs mashing together in his head, making steam. He was thinking furiously on how to answer L's question gently.

Surely Justice would keep L from a relationship and he had probably wasn't even interested in men. But the simple fact that he stayed had proved enough to B: L felt something, no matter how insignificant, towards him.

Perhaps if he kissed those gentle, pink lips, L would understand. Perhaps if he took L's thin yet muscular body beneath his own, and stroked the icy skin that matched the color of the purest cream, L might see. Perhaps he would. Lust and murder don't usually go together but L was anything but a usual case. He was so beautiful, so God-like. He must make Justice proud.

Maybe L would kill him for loving him. Death would be better than this constant tension. It was as though someone had pulled B's heart into a slingshot and held the band tightly and pulled out, leaving Beyond in a constant state of nerves.

"Am I doing to die?" he asked again, mostly to the nerves themselves, "Or am I already dead?"

"You'll be waking soon." L sighed quietly. The sorrow was clear in his voice.

"We have gotten into quite a predicament Beyond. Maybe after you're well again, you can let me go and we can forget that any of this ever happened."

But there was no way to forget the events: Lydia's still warm and bleeding body lying on the floor a foot away gave enough testament that truth.

Beyond uttered a whisper so quiet that even L didn't hear, let alone notice. It was short and bitter and filled with more truth than Beyond had been in a long time.

"You can never leave."

With that, the bloody detective and doppelganger laid side by side, attempting to sleep through what was left of the cruel night.

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Ok kids, that's all for now but I gotta ask: WILL YOU PLEASE LEAVE ME A FRICKN REVIEW?


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